Of Sunny Days and Shiny Rings
by Blodwynn
Summary: Two overworked Ravenclaws realize that there is more to the Potion Master's life than they thought possible. One-shot, disregards Deathly Hallows.


One-Shot: Of Sunny Days and Shiny Rings

Summary of chapter: The reactions of two overworked Ravenclaws when they realize that there is more to their professor's lives than what meets the eye. Could be a parody if you squint.

Warnings: Implied Yaoi, use of OC's as minor characters, AU (Post Final Battle, disregards some events of DH), profuse use of mild swears.

Characters: Nicholas Kent, Ari Falstaff (Both minor OC's), Severus Snape.

Rating: For this one, I'd say about a T because of implied slash.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own nor make profit off of the Harry Potter series. Rights are owned by Scholastic books and Warner Bros. Nick and Ari are my OC's, if you wish to use them, just tell me. Plot is mine; any additions to the original work are due to my editors and my beta.

**Regarding Flames:** Go ahead and send them. I'd flame some of my older stuff, but bottom line is that they (flames) give me something to muse about in the mornings.

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Ah, Sunlight. It's a glorious thing. It was something, much like sufficient sleep, which many Hogwarts students had heard about, sometimes even seen on rare occasions. Unfortunately, many of the students didn't really get to experience and enjoy those occurrences as much as they should.

Ari and Nick found themselves contemplating the many joys of sunlight as they lay out in the Quidditch field after an exhausting day of N.E.W.T.S. Normally the two Ravenclaws would be sequestered in the library or helping a teacher about now, but they had nothing, _nothing at all_, that needed doing.

At first they hadn't believed it. From their second year forward, the two House prefects couldn't think of a time that they had absolutely naught to do. And considering that this was their N.E.W.T year, they should have been downing Wakefulness Potions like pumpkin juice. But they had finished their last N.E.W.T. and had only a local potions final the next day. They seriously doubted that _anything_ the overgrown bat could throw at them could be harder to do then making Veritaserum AND Wolfsbane in less than two hours time.

Then again, it wasn't something they would put past Professor Snape.

After about three solid hours of just basking in the now-dying sunlight, Nick propped himself up on his elbows and said, "Hey Ari? You ever notice that ring on Snape's left hand?"

Ari mirrored Nick's position as she responded "That silver and bronze one? Yeah, he always wears it, even when he's brewing something. Why?"

"Why do I feel like we've seen it somewhere before?"

The two found themselves deep in thought as they tried to remember who had a similar ring to Professor Snape's. They were guessing it was someone close to him, but they couldn't ever remember seeing the Professor in anyone else's company, save for….

Ari looked at Nick, shocking disbelief written all over her face. "_No!"_

The color drained from Nicholas' face as he realized who Ari was referring to. "Christ on the cross…"

Ari's eyes widened as her friend's face grew paler. "Bloody hell, are you serious?!?" She began to shake her head vigorously, rambling all the while. Her voice grew higher and shriller as the tirade went on.

"Tomorrow all I'll be able to focus on is that bloody ring and he'll swoop down on me and ask me something caustic and I'll fumble and drop something into the cauldron and the entire thing will blow up and…"

Her eye's widened and her head fell into her hands as she whispered "I'll be this generation's Longbottom."

Nick was only able to mutter incoherencies, phrases like "But that means they….he's old enough to be his father….Merlin's saggy left…." were the only things understandable. "Where are you going?" he whined a few minutes later.

Ari had slowly raised her head from her lap and shambled to her feet as Nick continued to mumble.

"To bash my head against the stadium wall and hope to God I black out."

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The next morning the two had dragged themselves away from the Great hall down the three flights of stairs to the dungeon with different type of dread gathering in the pits of their stomachs. The solemnly took their places at their tables on opposite ends of the tables, Ari glaring at Nick all the while.

Snape performed his usual bash-open-the-door-and-scare-them-out-of-their-wits-routine. After more than thirty year's of teaching, it didn't lack the infamous venom he was known for.

"Even though you slightly intelligent _things _have completed your N.E.W.T.'s, in general the grades were less than satisfying. Therefore you will all be re-brewing examples of Veritaserum _and_ Wolfsbane. Recipes," he spoke in a level tone as some reached for their texts, "should not be needed. The first student who so much as mutters a word will have the privilege of testing all the potions. Begin."

The tension of the room was palpable as students struggled to remember the ingredients needed for the potions. They had taken for granted that they were allowed to use potion recipes during their previous practical. Snape swooping among them and glaring at them all the while did little for their nerves.

Ari struggled not to look her Professor in the eye as she grinded a chunk of moonstone to a fine powder using the chunk of ragged rock at each table. '_DON'T look at him. He could do that weird thing where he almost reads your mind. We don't need a touchy potions master seeing your imaginings of him…or the fact that you can't remember how much wolfsbane you need."_

She strived to remember the proper ingredients, when the glint of candlelight on polished bronze caught her eye._ 'Damnable man. Out of everything he has to clean, it has to be the bloody ring.' _

Her knife slipped from her grip as she began to do that twitchy thing that happened when she read a particularly horrid fan fiction pairing.

Ending Note: I have to say, it came out better than I thought. Still no where near the best, but pretty far from the early drafts. Let it be known I adore the pairing I teased a bit. Any guesses as to who I'm referring to?


End file.
